Mike Harrington and Lance Lysowski report from the Buffalo News studio today on all things Sabres. Despite their wild inconsistency this season, the Sabres are only 6 points away from a playoff spot.
Bowen Byram earned a spot on the top defense pair by proving to Lindy Ruff that he can handle the immense responsibility of working with Rasmus Dahlin to stop the best forwards in the NHL.
Byram has logged at least 24 minutes of ice time in 18 of 44 games. He reached that mark only once in 55 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season. Only Dahlin is averaging more ice time than Byram, who's second on the team at 23:25. He's on the ice in pressure-packed situations, and he's one of the defensemen Ruff trusts to kill penalties.
Byram's arrival in March concluded a yearslong search by general manager Kevyn Adams to acquire a top-four defenseman to complement Dahlin and Owen Power. Byram is only 23 years old, and the Sabres intended to keep him in Buffalo long term. Yet, less than a year since the blockbuster trade, Byram is still without a long-term contract and becomes a restricted free agent this summer.
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The Sabres' 17-22-5 record hasn't soured Byram on the idea of committing to the Sabres. He expressed a desire to stay beyond this season, but he's leaving negotiations to his agents and Adams.
"For sure," Byram told The Buffalo News when asked if he sees a future in Buffalo. "Being an RFA, not too much is really in my control. To be honest, I haven't put too much thought into it. I'm trying to play as best as I can and try to help our team win. Just try to do my thing and play hard, be a good teammate, be a good pro, continue to grow my game and let my agents and Kevyn deal with the rest."
The Sabres have outscored opponents 19-10 at 5-on-5 with Dahlin and Byram on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. Though Mattias Samuelsson showed top-pair potential in recent seasons, he lacks the dynamic qualities that allowed Byram to play a prominent role in the Avalanche's run to the Stanley Cup in 2023. He's the best defenseman the Sabres have paired with Dahlin since the captain was selected No. 1 at the 2018 draft.
Ruff prefers to not have two left-handed defensemen play together. It's challenging to make plays in the offensive zone when you're forced to peel the puck off the wall on your backhand. You may not be able to get a quick shot on net. Byram, Dahlin and Power can do it, but the Sabres may get more production and consistent play from Power if they acquire a right-handed defenseman to pair with him.
The Sabres haven't found the right partner for Power since he was drafted first overall in 2021 and arrived in the NHL in March 2022. Henri Jokiharju routinely has that assignment, but he's prone to mistakes in defensive-zone coverage and he doesn't have a skill set that complements Power.
Buffalo needs a veteran with a right-handed shot who can make a smart first pass to help the Sabres exit their defensive zone. They need someone who understands how to use their stick and body positioning to protect his net. Physicality also is a must since Power has yet to incorporate that facet into his game. Ruff needs another leader on his blue line who can restore poise and refocus teammates with a few sage words on the ice or on the bench.
"I know he's comfortable playing both," Ruff said of Power playing the left and right side on defense. "Myself, as a coach, I'm not real fond of the offhand for the fact you can't shoot a lot of pucks coming off the wall. Sometimes it makes for a lot tighter play breaking out. I know he can play either one, and he plays them both well. Ideal partner? I don't think we have that ideal partner, but I know he can play either side."
The Sabres signed at least one veteran right-handed defenseman in consecutive offseasons. Ilya Lyubushkin was added in 2022, followed by Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton in 2023. Adams added Dennis Gilbert, who's one of six left-handed shots on the depth chart, last summer.
Lyubushkin was traded after one season and Johnson appeared in only 50 games before he was traded to Philadelphia. Clifton has brought toughness, physicality and leadership while improving the Sabres' penalty kill, but he hasn't been able to earn an extended look on the first or second pair.
Power's best 5-on-5 results have been with Dahlin, but they are usually only together for offensive-zone faceoffs or as the Sabres are trying to rally from a deficit in the third period.
Ten defensemen have logged at least 100 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time with Power since his rookie season in 2022-23. Here's a glance at each of Power's most common partners over the past three seasons and their 5-on-5 on-ice results, according to Natural Stat Trick:
Jokiharju: 1393:08 time on ice, 47.4 Corsi%, 73 goals, 66 goals against, 44.42% expected goals share and 49.9 of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Dahlin: 557:49 time on ice, 60.70 Corsi%, 35 goals, 20 goals against, 55.82% expected goals share and 71.51 of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Samuelsson: 385:26 time on ice, 50.14 Corsi %, 18 goals, 14 goals against, 50.15% expected goals share and 43.62 of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Jacob Bryson: 264:48 time on ice, 50.42 Corsi%, 8 goals, 18 goals against, 52.64% expected goals share and 53.73% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Byram: 264:39 time on ice, 49.54 Corsi%, 15 goals, 10 goals against, 41.82% expected goal share and 57.75% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Clifton: 229:00 time on ice, 54.3 Corsi%, 15 goals, 16 goals against, 52.01% expected goal share and 55.1% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Kale Clague: 177:39 time on ice, 55.29 Corsi%, 7 goals, 10 goals against, 45.69% expected goal share and 70% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Lyubushkin: 172:21 time on ice, 46.36 Corsi%, 5 goals, 4 goals against, 42.21% expected goal share and 31.91% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Erik Johnson: 111:26 time on ice, 46.94 Corsi%, 1 goal, 7 goals against, 45.72% expected goal share and 48.65 of their shifts started in the offensive zone.Ryan Johnson: 108:12 time on ice, 57.65 Corsi%, 6 goals, 2 goals against, 53.19 expected goal share and 66.67% of their shifts started in the offensive zone.
The Sabres need to prioritize Power's development. He may never be as physical as someone like Alex Pietrangelo, whom Power was compared to leading up to the 2021 draft. Power has improved in the defensive zone, but he kills plays with his stick and angling rather than by finishing a check. He's also still learning how to protect the front of his net. He's not consistently tying up or lifting sticks to prevent high-danger scoring chances.
The Sabres must decide how much they are willing to spend on their defense. They are already allocating $19.35 million of their salary cap to Dahlin and Power. AFP Analytics' soon-to-be-released midseason projections have Byram's next long-term contract as a seven-year deal with a $7.035 average annual value, but his role and production may move that average annual value closer to, or higher than, what Buffalo is paying Power. The team can afford to pay its top three defensemen, especially now that its restricted free agents are unlikely to cost much to retain, but it needs to find the right partner for Power to aid in his development and help the Sabres win.
No-trade clauses are an obstacle to improving the roster. The Sabres' pool of players is shallower than most because of their 13-year playoff drought. There are several intriguing options, though.
Rasmus Andersson of the Calgary Flames and Zach Whitecloud of Vegas Golden Knights should be atop the shopping list. Both have at least one season left on their current contracts and neither has trade protection. Acquiring one of the two would be costly, though. Calgary wants a center, and Vegas is unlikely to move Whitecloud as it pursues the Stanley Cup. The Sabres could try to trade one or two high-end forward prospects to the New Jersey Devils for Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey.
The Sabres need to find a way to get more out of Power in the short- and long-term. He's tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in even-strength points - no small feat for someone who's only 22 - but he has zero points with a minus-5 rating in his last 11 games. He has yet to record a power-play point this season. Putting Power next to the right veteran would give them a better chance to unlock his untapped potential.
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